Language and Literacy During StorytimesEmily S. Neal, M.S., CCC-SLP

Rhian E. Vanderburg, M.S., CCC-SLP

Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center

Pilot Program and Partnership

Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center and Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries teamed up to provide language and literacy experiences to at risk populations in Mecklenburg County

Provided storytelling, language enrichment activities, and other pre-literacy activities to young children at 3 library branches

Children with language impairment are more likely to have reading difficulties as

they get older.

Catts, et al.

Who can benefit from Pre-Literacy skills?

Babies- chewing books, holding books, turning pages

Young children- following along with text, holding text the correct way, interacting with content, phonological awareness skills

Pre-Kindergarten children- phonological awareness, comprehension, language expansion

What can we do to foster pre-literacy skills?Phonological Awareness ActivitiesLanguage Enrichment and EnhancementAllow Learning by Doing

Phonological Awareness Skills

Phonological awareness is the understanding of how a word is structured and built

It allows for the manipulation of sounds and syllables in words

Phonological awareness skills aid in word decoding skills and sound to letter correlation (which increases reading abilities)

Phonological Awareness ActivitiesRhyming wordsSyllable segmentationDeletion of syllablesBlending sounds into wordsDeletion or addition of sounds in

wordsManipulating sounds in words

Phonological Awareness Skills• Segmenting Syllables– princesses, twenty six

• Rhyming– What rhymes with Alice?

• Blending sounds together to form words– Sound out name of next

princess and allow group to guess!

• Sound Awareness– Whose name begins with

“B”? Clap your hands!

Language Enrichment and Expansion Not just “what’s that?”

Example: If you are describing a “bear,” discuss its actions, appearance, motivations “the huge brown bear”“it’s running quickly”“What do you think will happen? It will

sleep all winter.” Allow for prediction

“What do you think will happen next?”

Language Enrichment and Expansion Introduce basic concepts during reading

Spatial concepts (in, on, under) Shapes (the barn is shaped like a square) Colors (describe objects) Actions (describe what characters are

doing) Allow for imagination

“If you were a princess with a magic power, what would your power be?”

Allow Learning By DoingLooking, seeing, feeling, and

smelling are all hands on approaches that encourage learning and increase language skills

Don’t just teach, but allow the child to learn with you

Remember, language is best learned through experience

Language Activities:Farm Animal Book

• Phonological Awareness– Rhyming, syllable

segmentation, initial sound recognition and manipulation

• Basic Concepts– Allow children to put

animals “in, on, beside” barn

• Vocabulary– Animal names,

descriptive words

Language Activities: Ocean Themed Book

• Vocabulary– Sandy, rough, sea

shell, star fish, ocean life vocabulary

• Language Enrichment– “We build

sandcastles,” “We dig in the sand”

– We take pictures with a camera

– “What would you like to do at the beach?”

Don’t Forget Phonological Awareness!

What are adapted books?

Adapted books are books that contain picture symbols. These are often paired with symbol labels.

Adapted books help students look for, understand, and identify (either by pointing or saying) the content of the illustrated page.

Why do adapted books work?

Adapted books provide students with a pre-reading step that allows them to understand that the picture in the book is related to the picture symbol in which they are trying to communicate.

Why do children enjoy reading adapted books?Many of our students are often

strong visual learners and benefit from having both picture and text!

Note: After students have learned picture-symbol associations, it may be possible to simply fade out the picture and focus only on the printed word.

So how do you use adapted books?

The following ideas will help you get started in creating a library full of adapted books: Select props that can be used within a story

(i.e. plush caterpillar and food basket for The Hungry Caterpillar)

Create adaptive songs or poems to go along with the book that you have chosen.

Write additional complimentary stories using everyday routines or activities.

Ideas Continued…

Write additional stories to teach new concepts.

Make flashcards for key vocabulary and pictures.

When selecting additional books, you want to choose predictable books with repetitive lines. These are great for emergent readers! (i.e. There was an old lady who swallowed a bat)

What do you need for making adapted books?

The following are just a few examples of what you can use to make adapted books. 3 ring binders or binders with protective

pages already in place. Lamination sheets to protect the book from

tearing and soiling. LOTS of Velcro to adhere your pictures. Page fluffers (to help with turning the pages)

(i.e. large paper clips, packing peanuts, popsicle sticks, hot glue dots, or square pieces of foam.) Space each one evenly down the right side of the page.

The bottom line!Books can be adapted for motor,

language, vocal output, vision, and hearing supports to allow for equal opportunities for literacy and language development.

Anyone can adapt books! It’s that easy!Be creative with resources! You can

recycle old children’s books, visit flea markets and garage sales, or even take a trip to your local dollar stores.

Adapted Books

What kind of book should I adapt? Predictable,

repetitive Rhyming books Large print Books with

appropriate vocabulary words

Adapted Books Providing picture with

word promotes visual and word correlation

Easier word prediction

Allows spoken word and written word relationship

Hands-on approach encourages interest and learning

Adapted Books Communication

Board Children can use

grid of pictures to request desired picture

Matching symbols

Adapted Books

In the end…Make reading fun!

Make reading a language experience!

Adapt to provide literacy opportunities for children of all ages and abilities!

References Catts, H. W., Bridges, M.S, Little, T.D., & Tomblin, J.B.

(2008). “Reading Achievement Growth in Children with Language Impairments.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 51, 1569-1579.

Gillon, G. (2002, December 03). Phonological Awareness Intervention for Children: From the Research Laboratory to the Clinic. The ASHA Leader.

Glenn, M. “Using Adapted Books to Form a Bridge to Reading and Writing with Autism and Low Incidence.” Presentation.

North Carolina Assistive Technology Program, 2006. Web. 26 Sep. 2011.